Festival Program 2026 – will be available to download soon!

THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND

There are a number of activities going on that you can enjoy during the Midsummer Festival. Among them are two almost full days of live music with the a number of individual artists, groups and choirs. There will be performances by the Scandinavian Dancers and the Vikings in the Viking Village, including songs, games and a real Viking raid – beware of the Norse! At the Midsummer Marketplace, you find over 50 vendors with shopping kiosks with lots of exciting products and crafts.  There will be cultural displays, kids’ activities, a troll forest and carnival games.

For the Midsummer beginner – there are two very popular events during the festival that you may not want to miss! The raising of the Midsummer Pole with dance around takes place on Saturday afternoon. The popular and crazy Finnish wife carrying contest takes place on Sunday.

---

Program 2026

FOOD

Salmon BBQ, Smørrebrød (Danish open-face sandwiches), Swedish Meatballs, Finnish Meatballs, Hot Dogs, Waffles, Coffee, Pastries and Beer Garden.

---

Pets are not allowed; only Certified Service Dogs welcomed.

_____________________________________________________________________

PROGRAM – SATURDAY JUNE 20th Main Stage and Field

Time	Event
10 am	Gates open
10:00 – 10:45 am	Galiano Trio – Clarinet Trio with a twist
11:15 – 12:00 noon	Vancouver Dorfmusik – European-style band playing music of Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia
Noon – 12:30 pm	Setup for Opening Ceremony
12:30 – 1:00 pm	Opening Ceremony (Flag and Anthem ceremony)
1:00 – 2:00 pm	ON THE FIELD – Midsummer Traditions – Enjoy a festive parade, help us raise the Midsummer Pole, and dance on the grass with trolls and kids from 2 to 92!  Midsummer Spelmanslag with Scandinavian Dancers and Knotty Trolls
2:00 – 3:00 pm	ON THE FIELD – Hobby Horse Steeplechase
2:00 – 3:00 pm	The Coveralls –
3:30 – 4:30 pm	Deep Cove Big Band –
	Evening in the Beer Garden – Jazz 5:00 – 7:00 pm
5:00 – 6:00 pm	West Coast Charisma – with Heather Soles
6:30 – 7:30 pm	Cat Toren Trio – Juno Award winner and friends!
8:00 pm – ?	The Beagles – Great music for dancing and relaxing in the Beer Garden

 

PROGRAM – SUNDAY JUNE 21st Main Stage and Field

Time	Event
10:00 am	Gates open
10:00 – 11:00 am	Midsummer Pancake Breakfast in Beer Garden – Scandinavian breakfast with live music
10:00 – 11:00 am	South Vancouver Big Band
12:30 – 1:30 pm	Ti Meter I Taket
1:30 – 2:00 pm	Midsummer Spelmanslag
2:00 – 3:00 pm	ON THE FIELD  Wife-carrying Contest
2:30 – 3:30 pm	Royal City Concert Band – a rousing finish to the Main stage entertainment
3:30 – 4:00 pm	ON THE FIELD – Midsummer Traditions – gather round the Midsummer Pole for games and dances with the Midsummer Spelmanslag,  & the Knotty Trolls
4:00 pm	50/50 Raffle Drawing – Winner Announced   From the main stage

 

 

ENTERTAINERS’ BIOS

 

The Beagles (Beer Garden, Saturday 8 pm) The Beagles are a musical duo that has been performing music together for the past 20 years.  The Beagles are made up of two music teachers, Ken Mason and Ed Sadler. Together they have travelled all over British Columbia covering all types of music from the 50’s to the 2000’s.  Great music that you can dance to and guaranteed fun for all!!

 

 

****************************************************************************************************************************

Knotty Trolls (Midsummer Traditions Saturday 1 pm, Sunday 3:30 pm, and Bandstand – by appointment!)

The Knotty Trolls have been making mischief at Midsummer for many years! With their stripey socks, pointy ears, and knotty tails, they’re hard to miss…. And they love food, so watch out for your waffles & sandwiches! You can catch up on their past antics on Instagram.

The Midsummer Festival is back, and so are the Knotty Trolls! Whether frolicking around the Midsummer Pole, causing trouble at the Wife Carrying contest, or hiding among their friends in the Troll Garden, you can find them by their stripy socks and knotted tails. They’ll be making mischief for the whole weekend, so come say hello – just make sure they don’t steal your waffles!   https://www.instagram.com/knottytrolls/

 

*************************************************************************************************************

Midsummer Spelmanslag (Saturday 1 pm; Sunday 3:30 pm)

The Midsummer Spelmanslag is a group of local musicians who gather each year to share Scandinavian folk music with everyone at the Midsummer Festival. Our greatest joy is to get our audience tapping their toes, or better yet, up and dancing!   http://www.vcn.bc.ca/scandi/

 

************************************************************************************************************

The Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver (Saturday 1 pm; Sunday 3:30 pm)

The Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver is a group of energetic dancers and musicians, going strong since 1971. Though many of us are not Scandinavian, we’re dedicated to the preservation, enjoyment and performance of ethnic dances and music of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. From September to May, we dance on Wednesday evenings at the Scandinavian Centre and welcome both experienced and beginning dancers.   http://www.vcn.bc.ca/scandi/

 

***************************************************************************************************************

Vancouver Dorfmusik (Saturday 11:15 am)

The Vancouver Dorfmusik was founded in 1983 by musicians from the Swiss community who wanted to play music from their homeland. Dorfmusik means Village Band.  Today the members are as diverse as the population of Canada. The band has performed at such venues as the Kitsilano Showboat, Ladner Bandfest, the European Festival and the Swiss National Day. We are happy to be returning to perform at the Scandinavian Festival 2024.   Vancouver Dorfmusik is conducted by Gordon Koch.

http://www.swiss-society.org/vancouver-dorfmusik

 

**************************************************************************************************************

West Coast Charisma (Beer Garden – Saturday 5:15 pm)

Heather Soles is a Vancouver-based singer and songwriter.  Inspired by the constant wonder of jazz music — how fresh and new and beautiful the songs are each time they’re played — Canadian jazz singer Heather Soles and her band will take you on a musical journey full of depth, heart and swing.  Supported by Vancouver’s top musicians, Heather interprets her expansive repertoire of jazz standards, blues,  bebop and jazzified arrangements of vintage rock with  a natural sophistication and hint of smokiness. A recent project  with Vancouver pianist Miles Black, has been to reinterpret and reharmonize rock songs from the psychedelic 60’s through David Bowie and give each song her own personal flavor. Heather knows it’s all about connecting with the human experience and communicating emotions to the audience  in her soulful, bluesy style. She says “When I sing it’s synergy with the other players.  Music is my life.   Ray Charles said it best…  ‘For me, music is like breathing.  I never get tired of breathing, just like I never get tired of music. ‘ “

 

Vancouver BC based composer, song-writer and multi-instrumentalist  Miles Black has over 30 years of professional experience. He picked up the guitar at an early age, so he could jam with his dad. He  then began learning classical piano at age 11, and was playing professionally by age 14.   He began writing songs in his early teens and reckons he has written 8,000 songs.  He has played on over 400 albums, and has performed world-wide with many music greats, including Sweets Edison, Mark Murphy, Chuck Israels, Paul Horn,  Maynard Ferguson, Max Roach, Dee Daniels, Houston Person, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan and Lew Tabackin to name a few. He was a member of the legendary fusion band, SKYWALK.

Miles is currently co-leading the award winning and Juno-nominated modern jazz quartet Altered Laws with reed-man Tom Keenlyside. He is a member of the Oliver Gannon Quartet, The Mike Allen Quartet. He is  the pianist for an exciting new jazz trio called “Triology” with  guitarist Bill Coon and bassist Jodi Proznick. In addition, Miles leads his own Octet.

 

Brent Gubbels has been a Vancouver based professional musician and teacher for nearly twenty years. In that time he’s worked with a number of local musicians and ensembles including the Hard Rubber Orchestra, Gypsalero, Rumba Calzada, John Reischman, the Vince Mai Project, Jesse Zubot, Dal Richards, Lee Aaron and Dee Daniels.

Since 1992, he has toured North America and Europe extensively and played a variety of international jazz and folk festivals. Brent can be heard on recordings by Oscar Lopez, Gypsalero, Juno nominees Susan Crowe and Compadres, Juno winner James Keelaghan, and others.

 

Dave Say (sax)  Vancouver Island-native, jazz saxophonist Dave Say loves jazz and all its variations. He is renowned for his soulful interpretations, powerhouse sound, tasteful inventiveness, and adventurous improvisations. Dave has headlined at every major venue in western Canada, and is a favourite at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival where he presents his contemporary jazz original compositions to a riveted audience each year. Dave’s versatility makes him a first-call musician on the west coast for all styles of jazz, funk, R&B and as part of big bands and larger ensembles. He has performed with Western Canadian Music, Juno and Grammy Award winning musicians  as Dan Brubeck, Brad Turner, Michael Bublé, Dee Daniels, The Supremes, and Oliver Gannon. He swings hard and improvises melodically, conjuring the jazz greats of yesteryear and infusing each note with his own brand of heartfelt emotion. Whether playing straight-ahead swinging standards, or original music, Dave’s dedicated following of fans and musician colleagues certainly have something to say about Say!

 

Ray Ayotte (drums)       Ray Ayotte is a drummer, percussionist, drum teacher, and drum maker. He is known world-wide for his drum making and design and has a long history in Vancouver’s drum retail and manufacturing. Ray Ayotte was born in Maillardville Canada where as a youngster he began playing drums for rock bands he formed with schoolmates. Throughout his early playing days Ray made little adjustments to his kit and learned that other players enjoyed the changes and sounds he could make. He dreamed of one day making his own drum set. After working in the music retail business Ray finally had his chance when he created the Ayotte Drum Company. After selling the company he began creating new models for Taye Drums to great success. He now handcrafts RAYA Drums and does restorations and repairs of rare and vintage drums. He enjoys playing many genres of music including Jazz, Rock, Blues and R&B.

 

*********************************************************************************************************************

Cat Toren Trio    (Beer Garden – Saturday – 6:30 pm)

Cat Toren is a Juno Award winning pianist and composer. Born and raised in Vancouver, Cat Toren has become a fixture in the vibrant jazz scene of New York City and recently relocated to Washington State where she is a faculty member at Western Washington University. She has performed with various ensembles internationally and is happy to be returning to the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. Joining her onstage are local luminaries: bassist Russell Sholberg and guitarist Tom Wherrett.

 

 

**********************************************************************************************************

Galiano Trio  (Saturday 10:00 am )

The Galiano Trio provides music for all occasions.  A classical wind trio with a twist.  Performing repertoire spanning more than four centuries, expanding the definistion of chamber music!  Founded in 1986, we have provided music and entertainment in the Greater Vancouver Region for over 30 years!  After taking a few years off from the local music scene to work on other projects, we are BACK!

 

 

 

***************************************************************************************************************

The Coveralls (Saturday  2:00 pm)

The Coveralls love good grooves and harmonies, blending rock, soul, alt-country and folk. The self-described “nicest band in East Van”, ‘covers all’ kinds of music…from  Fleetwood Mac and Springsteen to ABBA and Taylor Swift. They are a group of six ‘old’ friends who love making music together. As they expanded their playlist (over 100 titles), they decided to share their music and so began offering free concerts for friends, and passersby, on some summer weekends at the edge of Trout Lake Park. 

 

 

******************************************************************************************************************

Deep Cove Big Band (Saturday 3:30 pm)

For over 25 years, The Deep Cove Big Band has been sharing the beloved music of the big band era with audiences on the North Shore.  They are thrilled to be getting back to “The Swing of Things’ after the pandemic!

This group of passionate musicians gathers every week to rehearse, and regularly performs at community events, festivals, and other local venues. They are thrilled to be getting to share their love of this great music with you today!

Director Casey Thomas-Burns is an accomplished trombonist and vocalist, who started working with the band last year. When not with the Deep Cove Big Band, she leads her own 10-piece ensemble “The Leading Ladies”, and performs with jazz ensembles throughout the Lower Mainland.

We are excited to play for the Midsummer Festival!

*************************************************************************************************************************************

South Vancouver Big Band (Sunday 10:00 am)

SOUTH VAN BIG BAND is a big band jazz orchestra based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The band’s musical repertoire explores a variety of different musical styles in blues, latin jazz, rock, funk, bebop, fusion and contemporary music, all arranged in modern big band orchestration. With 13+ horns, a full rhythm section and vocalist, SVBB impresses with the dynamic power of a big band through arranged music of well-known artists such as the Beatles, Santana, Steely Dan, Radiohead and Pat Metheny, as well as the music of the great big bands such as Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich and countless others. The band also enjoys performing new modern compositions and arrangements by Dr. Greg Johnson, a saxophonist/composer/clinician based in the San Francisco Bay Area and current Director of Jazz Studies at Marin School of the Arts. In recent years, the band has started exploring and performing the music of modern Canadian composers

 

****************************************************************************************************************

Royal City Concert Band (Sunday 2:30 pm)

Royal City Concert Band is a band of enthusiastic and motivated amateur musicians, established in 1987. Under the baton of musical director Kris Covlin, we play an eclectic and ambitious blend of world class compositions, drawn from the best arrangements in the worlds of Pop & Rock, Jazz & Big-Band, Broadway Classics, Movies & Television, Contemporary & Traditional Band music, Classical Arrangements for wind, Canadian Folk & Contemporary and last, but certainly not least, some of the Best Marches Ever Written.